-Hakuin Ekaku, the great Zen master revered for revitalizing the Rinzai Zen tradition in Japan.

The Zuiganji temple in Matsushima is a very important and historically significant temple in the Rinzai tradition of Zen Buddhism. Sadly, Matsushima was one of the areas hit hard by the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. I was very touched to learn this morning that this beautiful temple was opened up as a shelter for survivors of tsunami, and to have been shown these heart warming photographs of compassion in action.